Star Anise Takes Over a Pot in About Ninety Seconds
One point of one star is a dose, and most people find that out by ruining a pan they had already sweetened.
Prakash Rawal
Contributing writer, Indian Chai Masala
Prakash writes about stalls and the people who run them, having grown up beside one.
Contact Prakash through our contact page — mark your message for their attention and it will be passed on.
11 articles
Lemongrass Needs Bruising Rather Than Chopping
The oil sits in the fibrous lower stem, and a knife that cuts across it releases far less than one that crushes it.
The Winter Blend Is the Summer Blend With the Ratios Turned Over
The same six spices in different proportions produce two drinks that behave nothing alike in the mouth.
A Summer Masala That Drops the Ginger and Leans on Fennel
Heat-forward spice is oppressive in hot weather, and the fix is a blend built around perfume rather than pungency.
A Masala Designed to Rescue Cheap, Dusty Leaf
When the tea itself has nothing to say, the blend has to change job from accompaniment to structure.
Wet Masala Paste Keeps Two Weeks and Beats Powder Every Time
Pounding fresh ginger with whole spices into a paste captures compounds that no dry blend can hold.
A Three-Spice Blend for People Who Think They Dislike Masala
Most masala aversion is really clove aversion, and stripping the blend back to three components usually settles the argument.
Black Cardamom Is a Smoke Flavour, Not a Larger Green Cardamom
The pods look related and are not interchangeable; one is floral and volatile, the other is dried over fire and tastes of it.
Liquorice Root Sweetens a Cup and Refuses to Be Ignored
Mulethi brings a sweetness that is not sugar and a flavour that takes over any blend built without planning for it.
A Cardamom-Only Chai Teaches You What Blending Is Actually For
Strip a masala down to one spice and you find out very quickly which parts of your usual cup were doing which job.
A Whole-Spice Chai Mix That Never Sees a Grinder
Skip the powder entirely and keep a jar of cracked whole spices you scoop by the spoon; it keeps far longer and forgives more.